The present invention relates generally to the treatment of damaged hair. More particularly, the present invention provides a method and system for repairing the protein structure of damaged hair.
Scientific study has shown that human hair comprises approximately 94% protein and that the hair's protein structure is affected most significantly by pH. The optimum pH of the hair is from about 4.5 to about 5.5. Altering this pH range by applying to the hair water (pH 7), hair treatments or other chemicals having a pH above or below this range results, over time, in damage to the hair's protein structure. In the most severe cases, protein is actually removed from the hair fibers creating holes or spaces in the protein structure of the hair. In general, solutions applied to the hair having a pH higher than about 5.5 tend to relax the normal degree of coil characteristic of normal hair's protein structure, which causes the hair to become limp and bodiless. On the other hand, solutions applied to the hair having a pH lower than about 4.5 tend to tighten the coiled protein structure, and under conditions of extreme acidity such solutions cause the hair to become dry, brittle and almost crystalline in structure.
A number of treatments are known to those skilled in the art for repairing damaged hair. In general, such treatments attempt to repair damaged hair protein through the application of pH-balanced shampoos or protein conditioners. The application of a pH-balanced shampoo will certainly help restore the normal pH of the hair but will do little to repair the hair's damaged protein structure. Conditioners can serve as a source of protein which temporarily attaches to the hair fiber. However, the protein provided by such conditioners is incorporated only slightly into the protein structure of the hair and is easily washed out the next time water or shampoo is applied to the hair. Even in the case of so-called "deep conditioners", the protein is washed out within 2 or 3 days after application.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for treating damaged hair by which the normal pH of the hair is restored and the protein structure of the hair is repaired.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a system of compositions for carrying out such a method.